Govt Delays Luxury Tax on Smartphones

JAKARTA (Yosefardi) – Government has decided to delay implementation of luxury tax on smartphones.
“I suggest other ministries to review the proposed policy deeply,” said Gita Wirjawan, minister of trade affairs, Thursday (September 12).
According to Gita, luxury tax would only encourage smuggling of smartphones into the country, echoing concerns from industry players earlier.
Gita, however, suggested the implementation of International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) to reduce the distribution of illegal smartphones in the country.
Industry affairs minister MS Hidayat responded positively Gita’s proposal, but saying it will take sometime to see the implementation. “We have to talk to cellular operators first before implementing tax on IMEI,” he said.